Hawkgirl: Flirst Flight
by Cowgirl Jack
Summary: Here's a look at Hawkgirl before she joined the Justice League. Shayera Hol is after the thief Byth--and he's landed on Earth! Read and Review, please!
1. Byth's Chase

Hawkgirl: First Flight

Disclaimer:

Hawkgirl and related characters belong to DC Comics.  This is for the fans of the animated JL Hawkgirl, Shayera Hol (look for the Green Lantern and the rest of the JL to appear in later stories).  Now, on with the story!

Chapter I: Byth's Chase

                "Officers of Thanagar!  Byth's ship is exiting the atmosphere!  Follow him!"

                "Yes sir!" came a chorus of voices.

                Shayera Hol spotted her quarry's ship at ten o'clock and adjusted her position until the targeting screen locked onto the ship.  Byth Rok had broken into a research facility and made off with some top-secret government technology. Shayera, a member of the Thanagarian Police Force, had been dispatched to intercept the thief.  Unfortunately, the ship Byth had 'borrowed' was much faster then most of the law enforcement vehicles.  Shayera looked to her left and her right.  Her wingmen had all fallen behind her.

                A voice rang into Shayera's ear.  "Hey, Magpie!"  The voice was undoubtedly Katar's.  She grinned; he was the only one that could call her by that nickname.  "Don't get too far ahead of us!  These ships can't handle the stress of space for long.  Disable his engines now or pull out!"

                "I'm so close!  Hold on, Katar."

                "Officer Hol," came a voice from the intercom.  Shayera frowned.  The party was about to be crashed.  "We have a ship waiting just outside the atmosphere to intercept Byth.  Halt your pursuit!"

                Shayera looked ahead.  Byth's ship was so close…she could pull it off, couldn't she?

                "Magpie!  You've been ordered to halt!"  Shayera couldn't tell if Katar was mad or amused.

                "Sorry Katar.  I'm almost there!"

                Shayera armed her missiles and sped forward.  She could hear one of the other officers talking to Katar.  "Captain Hol, should we follow?"

                "We have our orders.  Stand by and be ready to shoot."

                "But should we stop Officer Hol?"

                "Stop Magpie?"  Katar laughed.  The other officers joined him.  "I wouldn't dream of it."

                The talking stopped.  Shayera smiled.  Her ship groaned at the stress, and then the last bit of cloud disappeared as she entered the cosmos outside the atmosphere of Thanagar.  A warning light lit up on the control panel—she had about seven minutes before the hull ripped apart and she would be stranded in space.  Byth's ship was designed for space travel and wasn't shaking like Shayera's smaller ship.

                She could spot the police spaceship, the _Hunter_, farther up ahead.  It was much larger than hers, with massive gun turrets aimed at Byth's ship.  "Drat!  They'll get to him before I do!"

                Suddenly, the left side of Byth's ship lit up, and a laser from a giant cannon fired at the _Hunter_.  The _Hunter_ split in two before exploding.  There was an eerie silence, as sound does not travel in space.

                "Officer Hol?  Report."

                "The…the _Hunter_'s gone."

                Katar's voice rang in her ears again.  "Magpie, can you fire at Byth?  Do it NOW!"

                Shayera fired two missiles at Byth's ship.  Both were intercepted by lasers.  "Captain!  His ship—he was able to destroy the missiles.  What kind of ship did he steal from that lab?"

                Katar didn't answer, but Shayera could see on her computer screen that he was receiving a private text message.  His voice was frantic when he began talking again.  Shayera had never heard him shout like that.  "Disengage!  Magpie, get out of there!"

                "What?"

                Shayera saw another of Byth's gun turrets—it was thinner and shorter than the cannon that attacked the _Hunter_—aim outward, away from the planet and Shayera.  It glowed white as it began to charge up.  "What is he doing?"

                "Shayera!"

                "Hold on, Katar, I'm turning around now!"

                Just as Shayera turned her ship and prepared to fly back to the hanger, a bright light shone behind her.  Shayera spun around and was too shocked to scream as a massive energy wave ripped through her ship.  Her head hit the ceiling and she fell unconscious

*              *              *

                Meanwhile, down below, Katar Hol and his wingmen were monitoring the situation on their computers.  An energy signature could be detected.  A _big_ energy signature.  Byth's ship disappeared of the screen, followed shortly by Shayera.  Katar adjusted his headphones.  "Officer Hol?"  No answer.  "Shayera?"  Still no answer.  "Magpie?"  Katar swore at the lack of response.  "Aerie HQ?  This is Captain Hol.  Abort mission.  Mission failed."

*              *              *

                "What is taking the Captain so long?"

                One of Captain Hol's officers shrugged at the general.  "He spent extra time up there, looking for visual conformation.  I dare say the Captain would still be up there, but his fuel cells were low."

                Katar entered the room.  He was still in his blue uniform, but he had removed his helmet.  His massive gray wings were carried directly behind him.  The feathers were also ruffled and raise—Katar was angry.

                "Please follow me to the debriefing room, Captain," said the general.

                Katar followed the general until they reached a large room full of video screens.  A few had news, but most had security cameras or satellite maps of Thanagar.  The general sat down at his desk and motioned for Katar to have a seat in front of him.  He refused and remained standing.  "My magpie—Officer Hol is dead and—"

                "Officer Hol is still alive."

                Katar sat down, shocked.  "What?"

                "That blast didn't kill her.  It was a piece of technology our scientists were developing.  Byth must have activated it.  What an idiot.  Even if he knew how valuable the things he stole were, he'd never find a market for them."

                "Wait—that blast—I saw—there wasn't any ship left!"

                "Captain, you know we Thanagarians are an advance people.  And we tire of living on one planet.  That ship was a prototype."

                Katar lifted an eyebrow.  This was confusing.  "But we already _have_ spaceships."

                "Yes…and none of them can even get past the moon.  This one can travel through an dimensional rift to another corner of the universe."

                "Then Shayera…"

                The general waved his arm a-matter-of-factly.  "Her ship must have been caught up and traveled with Byth.  An interesting side effect.  I will have to notify the scientists about this…"

                "Well, then where is she?"  The general looked down and did not speak.  "Sir, where is she?"

                "Haven't you figured it out, Captain?  We can't trace the ship.  And even if we could find her, we have no means to retrieve her.  I am sorry to inform you that your wingman, Officer Shayera Hol, has been declared Missing in Action."


	2. Strange New World

Chapter II: Strange New World 

                The situation had not improved upon Shayera waking up.  She was flicking every switch in the cockpit on and off.  Her lights didn't work.  The weapons were down.  One engine was still working, the others had died out.  She was drifting in space.  Up ahead, Byth's ship seemed to be suffering the same fate.  The energy blast must have caused a lot of damage.

                "Where am I?  These constellations aren't familiar."  Shayera checked her clock, which still worked.  She had been unconscious for over seven hours.  She was used to being this cramped for space for an hour or two at the most.  Her wings cried for more space.  She stretched them as far as possible to relieve the irritation.

                Shayera peered through the thick glass to look at the planet up ahead.  She was obviously caught in its pull and was orbiting around the planet.  It was mostly water—unlike Thanagar, which was evenly distributed between water and land.  Thick clouds swept across the surface.  Shayera realized that both Byth's ship and her own was slowly descending.  "This is not good.  I'm going to be drifting into the atmosphere in an hour or two!"

*              *              *

                Nobody was approaching Katar as he walked through the streets.  He emotions were plain on his face.  He was bitter, upset, saddened—but mostly mad.  His little Magpie had been taken from him.  It would have been easier if she were dead—then Katar could simply morn his loss and moved on.  But his dear little bird was still alive.  He wouldn't rest until she was brought home.

                Katar had reached the research facility.  A short scientist with pale brown wings approached him.  "Captain Hol of the Police Force?"  Katar nodded.  "Thank you for taking the time to look over this."

                "I just want to see what Byth stole from this lab."

                "Well, he didn't steal a great quantity of things.  But that thief did make off with some very important valuables.  First was our ship—I heard you've been debriefed on that article already by one of the generals."

                "Yes."

                The scientist read Katar's thoughts.  "I am sorry, Captain Hol, but we have no way of restoring Officer Hol to you."  He led Katar to the main hallway.  Several other researchers were escorting other police officers and forensic detectives through the crime scene.  "Byth also made off with two other items—the Absorbascon and the Krotan."

                "The _what_ and the _what_?"

                The short man looked at Katar like he was dense.  "Two articles from our biological department.  The Absorbascon was designed to absorb information.  Sort of helmet that served as a computer.  We didn't get very far with that device—it just works on synthesizing audio patterns."  Katar wanted to ask more, but decided not to.  "The Krotan has us all worried.  Byth also stole the information on it, and so he might try and use the device."

                "What does that do?"

                "Ah, it suppresses certain segments of ones own DNA to expose newer DNA to the nucleus and the cell."

                "Meaning?"

                "He has the ability to change into any animal after injecting himself with a DNA sample."

*              *              *

                Shayera's ship had begin to descend into the atmosphere.  She could see the hull outside turn bright red with the heat caused by the friction.  Byth's ship, far less aerodynamic, was taking a beating.  Pieces were flying off, and Shayera could only hope that nothing hit her.

                The surface of the planet was much closer now.  Shayera could see that it was populated by some sort of civilized beings.  There were giant cities scattered around the globe.  "Please, please, please, DON'T let me land in one of those cities!  Let it be somewhere abandoned."

                Shayera got her wish.  Byth's ship, barely intact, crashed into some sort of field.  Dirt, plants, and metal flew in the air and hit her own ship as she flew by.  Up ahead was a city.  Huge rectangular buildings were scattered all about—how funny looking!  Shayera was just high enough to sail over the taller buildings and skimmed over the short ones.  The ship finally crashed outside of the city limits.  It was not the organized little field Byth landed in, but some unoccupied land.

                "Well, I suppose any landing you walk away from is a good landing."  Shayera climbed out of the cockpit and stretched her wings.  Then she surveyed the damage.  Most of the paint was gone; the ship was now covered in mud.  One wing was nearly ripped off.  The glass around the cockpit was cracked.  Shayera reached in to check the headset.  Communications were dead too.

                She was stranded.  On an alien world.  Not good.  Shayera wasn't sure what to do first—her training had not covered this.

                "Right.  I might as well hide the ship.  Who knows what the technology level of this civilization is.  They could be barbarians or cannibals and then I'd be in trouble.  I can fit all my gear in my backpack.  Then I better find Byth.  Like or not, I'm responsible for him and can't let him hurt these aliens."

*              *              *

                Byth groaned and picked himself from the floor.  Nothing had gone right that day.  He had been paid to break in the facility, steal the Krotan, and find a getaway vehicle.  Who knew he pick the one capable of faster-than-light travel?  The Absorbascon was an impulse item.  It was in the same room as the Krotan, but with far less security.  Of course, none of these items were going to help him get home or get his money.  He was hungry, bleeding, and bruised from being tossed about the ship.

                "Seven Devils!  I'll never get home!"  He slammed his first against the wall.

                Byth didn't look like a Thanagarian anymore.  He had been incarcerated many times already, and, as punishment, had he wings removed.  Two giant scars ran down his back where massive muscles were attached to his wing-bones.  This had not stopped Byth from his life of crime.  He gained more muscle weight by working out, far more than his wings could have supported him in flight.  Strength, he reasoned, were far better than flight.  For years, Byth had used his brains and his strength to evade the Thanagarian police.  "Forget the money, I'll use the Krotan on myself so I can hide on this planet.  I'll sell the Absorbascon and scraps from the ship to survive."

                Byth had read about the Krotan while on the ship.  It was a pill you swallowed.  The biological details went over Byth's head (he may have been clever but no one would call him book-learned), but the procedure was simple.  All he had to do was inject a blood sample into his veins.  The DNA would lie dormant until Byth wished to become that animal.  The change was quick but painful.

                After swallowing the pill, Byth went outside of the ship and began swearing again.  The field he landed in was very organized.  The tall plants were all arranged in rows.  He was in a crop field!  "Of all the rotten luck…hopefully no one saw the ship crash.  It fairly well hidden by this hilly area in the dark, but it wouldn't take much to find it in the daytime."

                A dog started barking close by.  Byth had never heard the sound before, and crouched into the grass.  A small hairy animal was leading a tall lanky animal towards him.

                "What is it, boy?  Found something?  Sniff it out, Jim."

                Byth understood little of the language.  But he did grasp that the sentient animal was using another animal to track him.  Byth had an idea.  He had to act quickly.  As the dog approached him, he grabbed it by the muzzle, pulled it into the long grass, and broke its neck.  The dog never had time to react.  Grabbing one of the syringes in his pocket, he pulled out some of the animal's blood and injected it into his arm.

                "Seen anything, Jim?  Guess not.  Well, let's go home.  A shame I called the police already.  I'll call back and tell them it was a false alarm."

                The real Jim was lying dead in the tall grass, unable to warn his master.

*              *              *

                "Well, Mr. Lawrence, several other people saw those bright lights."

                Mr. Lawrence laughed softly.  "Well, my vision's not like it use to be.  Anything could have crashed and I would have walked over it."  'Jim' picked his head up, listened, and lowered it back down again.

"We're still going to search the area.  I hope we don't wake you."

                "Nah, Commissioner Emmett, I sleep like a log.  You can search the fields, and you don't have to bother knocking on the door and telling me.  Me and Jim are fixing to retire for the night."

*              *              *

                "Oh great.  I've lost Byth.  Can this get any worse?"

                Shayera stood in main part of the ship.  She had no change of clothing, so she was still wearing her blue police uniform.  Her mace—the Thanagarian favorite—swung on her hip and her crossbow was out and loaded.  Her helmet was on, masking the upper part of her face.  It was a special gift from Katar.  He thought that since she was one of the only female officers, she should have her own helmet.  The 'wings' were incorporated into the helmet more than the male helmets, and with the contrasting dark brown and gold, made her face very avian in appearance.

                Her boots hit the hard floor.  The ship was practically empty—being a prototype, appearance was not very important.  Shayera looked through all the compartments.  There was a little bit of food and some batteries, and she put them all her backpack and the pocket of her pants.  She opened one drawer and found the empty container that used to hold the Krotan pill.  The Absorbascon was lying next to it.

The Absorbascon was nothing more than a thin helmet with a thick ban running down the center.  "This is what he stole?"  She pulled off her own helmet and placed it on her head.  The metal tingled her temples.  It was thin enough for her to place her helmet back on, masking her face again.  Behind her, she heard a faint clicking sound.

                "Alright, whatever you are, this is Midway City Police.  Hands in the air!  We'll shoot if you try anything funny."

                Shayera couldn't understand the words, but she certainly understood the tone.  She turned around slowly, her crossbow pointed up in the air.  "Look, I'm not the enemy here."

                One of the aliens looked at the other.  "Can you understand it, sir?"

                "Nope.  Just some weird alien talk I suppose.  And I bet it can't understand us."

                "So what do we do?"

                Shayera swayed a bit.  The Absorbascon had sent a series of sharp electric signals into her brain.  A sharp sting rang through her skull, forcing her to pull her head back to comfort herself.  The pain was gone as quickly as it came.  Shayera straightened up and looked back at the two aliens.  One was looking at the other.  "Uh, Emmett—you suppose it's hurt?"

                Wait!  She could understand them?  The helmet Byth stole…it must have broken the language barrier.  Could she rely back?  It seemed she had been given knowledge of the vocabulary—but no idea how to say anything.

                Still she had to try.  "I-I-I-I am not the enemy."  Her voice was somewhat slurred, but the aliens must have understood, because one motioned for the other to lower his weapon.  "I am Off—off—Officer Shayera Hol."  There!  She had said her name.

                The two aliens looked at each other.  One walked closer.  "I am Commissioner George Emmett.  This is Lieutenant Jordan."

                He extended his hand.  Shayera was puzzled.  What did this mean?  She decided to follow suit.  The Commissioner reached for her hand and grasped it firmly.  Some sort of standard greeting, she assumed.  "Commissioner?  What do we do with…her?"

                "Let's take Officer Hol to headquarters and get this sorted out."


	3. The Robbery

Chapter III: The Robbery 

                "So let me get this straight: you are an alien cop?"

                "Well," said Shayera, speaking to Jordan.  "To me, _you_ are the aliens."

                Commissioner Emmett shrugged.  "Good point.  And you were chasing this guy, Byth, because he stole some stuff back on your planet.  And then this blast of light flew in your face and before you know it, you're on Earth."

                The three were in the main office to the Midway City Police headquarters.  Shayera was sitting down in front of Emmett's desk while Jordan stood behind her.  She wasn't handcuffed or restrained, but Jordan made sure she could see the gun in his hand.  "More or less."__

                "This is incredible," said Jordan.  "You look just like a human, except for those giant wings.  Are they real?"

                Shayera's feathers rose in irritation.  "What else would they be?"

                "Officer Hol," said Emmett.  His voice was much more calm than Jordan's barking.  "What do you plan to do?"

                "Catch Byth.  That's my job.  I failed to capture him once, I won't fail again."

                Emmett nodded.  "And after you catch him?  What then?"

                Shayera hadn't thought about that.  "I'll go home."

                "But how?  You said your ship doesn't have the power—and by looking at the condition of Byth's own ship, I'd say there is little chance for you to go home using his."

                Shayera bit her lip—Emmett was right.  "I—I'll think of something.  If I can find Byth, he may know how to get home."  Shayera rolled her eyes.  "I doubt your prisons could keep him anyways."

                Jordan was insulted by that remark, and was about to counter back when another officer entered the room.  Her badge read 'Lewis.'  "Commissioner!  Two patrol cars are requesting backup.  There was a robbery at the museum and the thieves have already gotten away.  Officer Matthews says they've shot his partner and he's got to stay there."

                "Get the helicopter up and follow the getaway vehicle.  Jordan, we need to get to the museum.  Come on."  He turned back and saw Shayera.  She was gripping her mace.

                "I was a cop on Thanagar.  I can help, you know."

                Emmett shook his head.  "You're a stranger here.  Stay here at the police headquarters."

                Shayera's eyes flashed in anger.  "But I can help you—"

                "Officer Lewis," the policewoman stood at attention.  "See this woman here?  She is not allowed to leave this room."  Emmett loaded a fresh cartridge into his gun.  "I'd like to think you're a friend, Officer Hol, but that's enough to let you fight, is it?"

*              *              *

                After they left, Shayera began to pace the room.  One of the radios was left on the desk, and she could catch snippets of the chase.

                "He's blown out one of my tires.  That's _my_ job!"

                "Suspects have turned right…he barely avoided a truck.  Is the blockade is place?"

                "Can someone get up ahead and punch those tires?"

                Shayera turned to Officer Lewis.  "So where are they now, do you think?"

                "Someone said Maple Street on the radio.  That's north of—hey, where are you going?"

                Shayera had opened the north-facing window and was halfway out of it.  "If you get in trouble, say I knocked you out.  Because I will if you try to stop me."

*              *              *

                Deputy Simpson floored the pedal and speed closer to the getaway car.  He could hear the helicopter above him, skimming past the tops of buildings to remain as close to the chase.  Simpson radioed the pilot.  "Howard!  We really need that roadblock now!"

                The chase had gone on for almost an hour.  Two men had entered the Midway Museum of History a few hours prior, dressed as janitors.  They had snuck into the warehouse in the back and made off with some pieces from a future exhibit.  The two men were stopped outside of the museum, and that's when the two thugs opened fired and hit one of the officers.  In the hour-long chase, they had caused two car crashes, one involving a pedestrian.  If the police failed to end this chase soon, the robbers were going to end it—and Simpson didn't want to think of the body count.

                "Dispatch?  Contact Emmett at the museum and tell him I'm requesting permission to—Holy Cow!  What is _that_?"

                It was Shayera.  She dropped down from the sky and landed on top of the robbers' car.  Her knees hit the roof while she spread her arms and gripped the edge with her fingertips.  "What the hell is on top of us?"

                "I don't know.  Shoot it!"

                A bullet shot through the roof, about two inches away from Shayera's elbow.  Suddenly she realized her awkward position.  She couldn't grab her mace without losing her grip.  "Great…just great."  She lunged forward and pulled herself so that she landed on the windshield.

                Whatever the thieves were expecting to be on top of their car, an winged alien cop was near the end of their list.  Shayera pulled her mace from her waist.  One hard swing cracked the glass, and she pulled her hand back to swing again.  The driver screamed obscenities and swung hard to the left.  Shayera spun off the vehicle and crashed into a pile of garbage bags on the side of the street.

                The robbers didn't fare too well.  The driver had pulled too far, and set the car in a spin.  It stopped after crashing into a chain-link fence.  "Come on!" said the driver to his gunman.  "Let's get out of here before that—that—that _freak_ finds us!"

*              *              *

                The ambulance had finally arrive.  The injured police officer was still conscious.  "Don't worry John," said Emmett as he stood over his fellow officer.  "You're going to be all right.  I'll check up on you when you're settled in the hospital."

                Emmett could here Officer Jordan swearing like a truck driver in the squad car.  "Jordan!  What's wrong?"

                "The alien escaped!  Lewis said she flew out—oh shit!"

                "What now?"

                Jordan was shouting to the pilot to confirm what he said.  "Captain Howard spotted her!"

                "Where?"

                Jordan was in a fit.  He finally got waved for Emmett to get in the car.  "Well," laughed Jordan as Emmett stepped in.  "Maybe she really is a cop!  Howard said she's stopped their car—by hitting it with a mace!"

*              *              *

                The two robbers had run far into the alleys to avoid being spotted.  The gunner was still waving his pistol in the air.  "Put it down, you jerk."

                "What if _it_ followed us?"

                The driver didn't answer.  He was just as frightened.  They ran on, splashing through puddles, jumping over fences and knocking down trashcans as they found some dark and quiet spot to recuperate.  There was a 'courtyard' formed by the alley walls with a small bunker opposite the two thieves.  No one would find them there.  Above and around them, pigeons and sparrows drank from puddles and rain gutters.  They scattered into the air as the two men sprinted to their hideout.

                WHAM!

                The shooter spun around to see Shayera slam her mace into the driver's shoulder, lift him up, and throw him against the wall.  There wasn't much room with her giant wingspan, so Shayera pulled her legs back and circled, trying to get some height.  The gunner reacted instantly, and fired two shots.  Shayera blocked one with her mace, but the other flew through the shafts of her wings.  "Got you, guttersnipe!"

                Shayera perched on a windowsill directly above the gunner.  Her wing smarted, but it didn't seem to matter right then.  She pressed a button on the handle, and the mace began humming as an electric current ran through.

                "CAW!"

                Shayera dove from the windowsill and swung her mace.  Hard.  It hit the shooter in the chest.  He collapsed on the ground, groaning.  Shayera stood over his limp form.  The sun was behind her, creating a giant raptor-like silhouette over the criminal's body.  "Please…don't kill me…"

                Shayera grinned.  She bent down and spread her giant wings over her quarry.  It wasn't Byth standing under her right now, but it felt good anyways.  "Kill you?  I wish.  You've caused a lot of trouble today, or so I'm told.  But you have helped me prove myself today.  So perhaps I should bring you to Emmett, eh?"

*              *              *

                Commissioner Emmett was looking at the crashed car up against the fence.  There was no word on where the two thieves had fled.  He turned his head toward the alley as two cops emerged from the shadows.  "You find either of them?"

                "They fled, Emmett.  We can't follow them.  I've sent for a few detectives, but I doubt they'll turn up."

                Jordan groaned.  "Great.  We lost them _and_ the alien."

                "Nobody's lost, officer."  Jordan, Emmett, the rest of the police officers, and the reporters spun around.  Shayera was standing on the edge of a rooftop.  Her wide, warm grin could be seen under her mask.  In each of her arms she clutched the collars of the two robbers' shirts.  One was unconscious, the other looked _very_ scared of heights.  "I _said_ I was a cop.  Do you believe me now?"


	4. Byth's Deed and Shayera's New Name

Chapter IV: Byth's Deed and Shayera's New Name 

Lawrence woke up early the next morning to check on the crops.  The sun was beginning to rise, and there was enough light to investigate the disturbance from last night.  Jim was downstairs, sleeping by the fireplace.  Lawrence put on his jacket and stepped outside.

There was smoke coming from the other side of the hill.  But no sign of a fire.  Lawrence quickened his pace and made his way up the hill.  Nothing could prepare him for what he saw.

The Thanagarian prototype ship was in shambles.  The nose had slammed into the ground at an awkward angle, warping the shape of the hull.  Both wings were hanging on to the rest of the ship by slivers of metal and strands of wires.  The front half was covered in burnt paint.  The smoke was coming from the engines in the rear, which were completely destroyed.  Lawrence continued to walk forward, as if in a dream.  "What in the name of—"

His foot hit something soft and—furry?  Lawrence looked down and saw Jim's body lying limp in the grass.  Ants were crawling in and out of his mouth.  The neck was pulled back in an awkward position.  Lawrence's knees failed him and his sank to the ground, cradling his dead dog in his hands.  _But I just saw you inside!  What happened_?

Lawrence looked back up at the ship, looking for some kind of explanation as to why his dog had been killed so savagely.  He could see his reflection in a portion in the hull.  And there was something dark moving behind him…

The old farmer spun around.  Jim—no, it wasn't Jim—the _other_ dog was rushing towards him.  Lawrence was too surprised to scream.  He raised him arms, but the dog knocked him back and lunged at his neck.  For five minutes Byth tore at the old man until both master and servant lay in the grass, and the ants crawled on them both.

*              *              *

Meanwhile, Emmett was calling Lawrence's residence.  "Look, Mr. Lawrence, you must be outside.  Just to let you know, we're sending an officer to…retrieve a few items from the crash site.  I would advise staying away from the area until we arrive.  I'll try to call you later.  Bye."

Emmett hung up the phone.  "What did you just do?" asked Shayera.

"Lawrence is the farmer that owns the land where your thief crashed.  He reported it to me last night, along with a few of his neighbors.  I want the area contained before anyone else finds out about this."

"What good will that do?  Byth's bound to have scurried off somewhere already.  Seven Heavens—he's probably caused a lot of trouble already."

Emmett looked at Shayera.  "You know this Byth that well?"

"He's what we call…a repeated offender.  It's an understatement.  My…my captain had his wings removed.  Byth didn't take it very well."

Jordan nodded.  "Neither would I.  But we'll get some answers when Jake comes back from the site.  You don't mind if he takes anything found there to the safe?"

"Not at all.  I've already given him the Absorbascon—I don't have a need for it anymore.  But I will take everything back to Thanagar when I leave."

Jordan cocked an eyebrow.  "_When_ you leave?"

Shayera sneered.  "I will leave.  I will go home."

*              *              *

Byth—back in his mutilated Thanagarian body—was pacing around the two bodies.  He had never killed before.  Sure, he had sold drugs, beat up cops, and stolen government property, but _murder_?  It felt so weird.  Disgusted at the torn up bodies in front of him, Byth crawled back into his ship.  He felt safe in there.

There was still no rest for him.  He could hear something mechanical heading towards the ship.  Byth swore out loud.  "Seven Devils and Seven Hells, another alien!"  He grabbed a broken pipe from the floor and sunk into the shadows.

Something about the alien…the way he walked?  The uniform?  The gun hoisted in the air?  Something triggered a memory.  Byth knew whom he was dealing with.  Billions of miles away from anything familiar, but Byth knew a cop when he saw one.

Murder does something strange to a criminal's mind.  It certainly affected Byth.  He becomes less afraid.  There was this thrill, underneath the horror, that gave Byth a bravado he normally did not have.  He knew he couldn't allow himself to be caught.  He would be dead.  That's why he killed the old alien, wasn't it?  It would be easy to kill this one too.  Byth squeezed the pipe and took a step forward.

Byth made short work of the cop.  A few blows to the head were enough.  He then pulled a blood sample and injected himself with it.  It took him a few minutes to remove the uniform and place it on his new body.  The aliens weren't that much like Thanagarians after all.  The hearing was sad, and the vision was even worse.  _Seven Hells, these are the dominant species?  I could take over this place if I wanted to_.  Byth dragged the old man's body and the dog's body inside and crammed all three into a compartment where no one would find them.

What luck!  The Absorbascon was lying in the cop's vehicle!  Then everything clicked inside Byth's head.  "How could they have accessed the compartments?  Only a Thanagarian—oh _bulwar_.  The cop's still alive."

Byth placed the helmet on after crawling into the vehicle.  He listened to the dispatch on the radio until the Absorbascon translated everything.  Byth pulled out the dead man's gun.  "So 'Jake' needs to bring anything of value found on the ship to his headquarters.  Hmmm…"

*              *              *

"Joe Tracy from the _Midway Report_.  My card."

Jordan, standing outside Emmett's office, stuffed the business card in his pocket.  He hated reporters with almost every inch of his being.  "You can beg all you want, you're not conducting an interview with her!"

"So you admit Hawkgirl exist then?"

Jordan curled his hand into a fist.  "No comment."

*              *              *

Shayera peeked out of Emmett's office.  Jordan had been yelling at some lanky human for five minutes.  "Who is that and why is he making the Lieutenant angry?"

Emmett smiled.  "You attracted a lot of attention last night.  The Press is pressing an interview."

Shayera looked confused.  "The Press?"

Emmett sighed and looked up the ceiling.  "Um…the Press…our reporters.  They saw you last night.  Now everyone's talking like Superman's visiting."

"Who is Superman?"

*              *              *

"Even if she was real!" shouted Jordan.  "She would never put up with an interview—"

"Sorry for the delay."  Jordan spun around.  Shayera was standing outside the officer door.  Her mask was still on her face, and she was carrying her mace.  But she was smiling faintly.  "  You must be Sr'i Tracy.  Commissioner Emmett said you had a few questions for me…"

*              *              *

_New Superhero in Midway!_

_Joseph Tracy, _Midway Report _writer_

MIDWAY CITY, YESTERDAY—After an hour-long chase, two robbers of the Midway Museum of History were arrested.  What's incredible is _who_ did the apprehending.

The Midway City Police Force and several TV news reports witness a _winged_ woman turning the two delinquents to the police.  Rumors began circulating quickly about 'Hawkgirl,' named for her avian mask and raptor-like shriek.  The _Midway Report_ has an exclusive interview with the Winged Avenger herself.

'Hawkgirl' is really Shayera Hol, a police officer from the planet Thanagar (location unknown).  Shr'i Hol (a feminine title, I was informed) crashed onto Earth two nights ago.  She stresses that she did not intentionally crash onto our planet.  "I was chasing a criminal and the ship he stole had inter-dimensional traveling capabilities.  Things went downhill after that."

Thanagar, Hol explains, is a planet population by individuals like herself, human-like aliens with massive wings on their backs.  She had been a member of the police force on her home planet for about five years, "and I spent a three years training at the military academy."  Like all other officers, Hol wears a bird-like mask and carries both a crossbow and a mace that releases a strong charge, electrocuting any opponent.

Hol warns that the criminal she was chasing is at large here in Midway City and the surrounding areas.  Byth Rok has charges including larceny, arson, narcotics, stealing, assaulting officers, resisting arrest, and breaking parole.  He is about six-six, with dark features, and massive scars all along his back from a 'Clipping' (Hol explains it was part of his sentencing, but would not go into details).  Anyone with information is asked to contact the MCPD as soon as possible.

                Now, readers—and reporters like myself—are all asking the same question: What does Shr'i Hol plan to do while she is here on Earth?  "Let me just say I have no intention on staying here long-term.  The humidity is irritating my feathers.  As soon as I apprehend Byth, I plan to contact my home world and they will come to get the two of us.  The ship he stole is likely to have some sort of long distance communicator I can use to contact Thanagar."  Hol explains that she is eager to go home and the sooner she catches Byth, the sooner this becomes possible.

                But don't worry, citizens of Midway!  This doesn't mean we won't be denied a superherione.  "Commissioner Emmett was kind enough to tell me about Superman of Metropolis.  He's an alien, just like me.  And he uses his abilities to fight crime in ways humans can't.

                "I must say his story is very inspiring.  And the Commissioner and I reached an agreement while I am here on your planet."  The Midway Museum of History's curator, Mavis Trent, has offered Shr'i Hol the attic rooms in the Museum to reside in.  In return, "I have been asked to defend this city—not just from Byth, which I was prepared to do anyways—but from all the criminals.

                "Part of the oath I took as an officer was to protect the innocent, 'No matter where the Winds take me'.  Well, by the Seven Heavens and the Seven Hells, I swear by the oath to protect Midway, my new aerie."


	5. Thanagarian Justice

Lieutenant Jordan spun his car sharply to the left.  Hawkgirl was up ahead, skimming over the cars on the street.  Less than seventy-two hours on Earth and Shayera had already mapped out a large portion of the Midway roads.  At least it was easy to spot her.  Between the crash and the chase from the other night, Shayera's flight uniform had taken a beating.  The dark navy blue had faded from the dirt and there were several spots where the fabric had torn.  So she was quite glad to hear that Alice Emmett, the commissioner's wife, would be proud to design a new uniform for the winged avenger.  Jordan thought that Mrs. Emmett had been reading too much about Gotham, because the uniform had the same colors as Robin.  Or a traffic light.  Yellow strapless top, dark green pants, and red boots with a yellow stripe down the middle.

                Shayera had received the gift quite graciously.  It was lighter in weight than her old uniform—which in turn made it easier to fly in.  She took her old belt—it had a hawk-emblem in the center—and her mask and flew off to patrol the skies.  Emmett had fixed a radio in the belt so she could hear the dispatch below.  A few hours in the air, she could hear Jordan shouting to his men.  "Seven Hells, what is with this town and thieves?  Oh well."  Shayera listened to the radio.  The robber had been cornered in an old warehouse, but it could be hours before the police could search everywhere.  "With my eyes, I might be able to see something different."  She adjusted her wings and flew towards the warehouse, mace gripped in her hand.

*              *              *

                Hawkgirl had an advantage the police didn't.  Jordan and his men could only see from the ground up.  Oh, they had a police helicopter, but it was controlled by a human that didn't think the way a bird could.  Humans tend to spot moving objects or bright colors when looking down.  Hawkgirl's eyes were trained to detect more subtle hints—an open door, a light in a window, even the faint waves of heat coming from a car's engine.

                So it was no surprise when Hawkgirl spotted these things that she was able to pin down the thief's location.  Jordan and his men were in the wrong wing of the building!  They'd never find him.  "I _could_ fly down and tell Jordan…"

Shayera dismissed the idea.  Why share credit with Jordan?  He didn't even like her.

                Hawkgirl lifted a window in the skylight and quietly flew down to land on some crates.  She could _hear_ the thief and _smell_ the thief, but she could not _see_ the thief.  Where was he?

                BANG!

                "Whose there?"

                The man was shooting randomly.  He must have seen the open skylight and was paranoid.  "The angle of those bullets…he's to my left, but there's no way I can get to him without getting shot at."  She looked back at the skylight.  A crowd of pigeons and sparrows had settled on the edge of window.  They were looking in her direction…

                BANG!

                "I know you're here!"

                "Seven Hells!" spat Hawkgirl.  She had reverted to speaking in Thanagarian.  "I need some sort of distraction—"

                Her voice was drowned by the cries of two-dozen birds diving at the robber.  He raised his arms upward to shield his face—which meant his gun was pointed away from Hawkgirl!  She didn't waste a moment.  The mace hit the robber, sending him falling onto the crates on a lower level of the warehouse.

                Hawkgirl turned to a sparrow perched on a handlebar.  "You can understand me?" she said in Thanagarian.

                The bird said nothing.  Hawkgirl tried again.  She held out her hand.  "Perch on my finger."  The sparrow did so immediately.  "Ah.  You don't have a language but you can understand my commands.  This could be useful."  She looked at the motley flock.  They were perched on the pipes above her, waiting for a new command.  "Follow me."

                Hawkgirl jumped over the handlebar and landed on the crates.  She stepped on the gun—its cartridge was empty and was no use to its owner anymore.  He was running up a head, carrying a black bag and rushing towards the exit.  "Stop him!" she shouted.

                Her flock—it was _her_ flock—surrounded the thief and taunted them.  They rushed at him and grazed his body.  They flapped their wings in his face.  They picked at his clothes and hair.  "Ah!  Get off me!"  He dropped the bag and began waving his arms, trying to hit the birds as they flew by.

                Hawkgirl rushed at him.  She slammed her mace into his shoulder.  That may have been a mistake.  The thief grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her to the ground.  She was so surprised that her mace fell out of her hands and rolled away from her.  Behind her mask, Shayera was alarmed.  With no updrafts or anything to fly off of, she couldn't get any lift.  She would have to fight this on foot.

                WHAM!

                Hawkgirl wobbled back a few steps.  This human outweighed her twofold and was in a rage.  He punched her two more times, once in the gut and then upward at the chin.  She found herself bleeding from the mouth.  The birds, without any new commands, were sitting up in the rafters, watching.  In less than thirty seconds, Hawkgirl found herself on the ground, bruised and bleeding.  Down below, she could hear Jordan and him men racing up towards them.  "Hang on Hawkgirl!  We're coming!"

                The robber turned his head at the direction of the shouting.  Hawkgirl jumped on that opportunity.  One solid punch into his jaw, another into the lower back.  She kicked at his chest, knocking the wind of the burglar.  Another kick hit his temple.  She kicked and she punch and she screamed.  The scream didn't sound human.  But the birds in the rafters understood it and shuddered.  It was the sound they all heard right before some great raptor wrapped talons over their necks.

                It was a hawk's kill-cry.

                Jordan and his team heard it.  All of them but Jordan stopped dead in their tracks.  He rushed forward and opened the door separating himself from Hawkgirl and her prey.  He was shocked to find what he saw.

                Hawkgirl had gone berserk.  Both she and the robber were bleeding.  But Hawkgirl had gone too far.  Jordan saw why the thief was on the ground, whimpering.  He was crutched in a fetal position, but his arms were held out at awkward angles.  Jordan lowered his gun, to disgusted to do anything else.

                Hawkgirl had broken his two arms.

*              *              *

                "What did you _do_ to him?" shouted Jordan as the robber was carried into an ambulance.

                "Thanagarian justice," was her only reply.


	6. Byth versus Hawkgirl

"Thanagarian justice?" shouted Emmett.  Hawkgirl was back in Emmett's office.  Jordan was standing behind him.  Shayera thought that Jordan would look a lot smugger—after all, she was busted because of him.  "Thanagarian justice?  What the hell does that mean?  We have a wanted criminal that might walk away free because of police brutality—"

                Hawkgirl couldn't help but laugh.  "Police _brutality_?  What a funny phrase.  We warriors of Thanagar don't know the meaning.  How you can you be too brutal to a robber or a murderer?  You lie, and I cut up your tongue.  You steal, and I break your arms.  And if you murder, then I take your life.  _That's_ Thanagarian justice."

                "That's not Justice!" hissed Emmett.  "You can't be officer, judge, and executer!  Not here, anyways.  You are _not_ on Thanagar."

                "For now, at least—"

                "You're on Earth now, Shayera.  And you'll follow our laws until you leave.  Which could be a while."

                Hawkgirl curled her lip.  "What do you mean by that?"

                "No one from Thanagar knows you're here.  You haven't found a way of contacting your people, despite the optimism you showed in the _Midway Report_.  And _we_ can't contact them either."  Emmett pointed outside.  "In a few hours it will be dark and the stars will appear.  Can you point to your sun?  Do you know where it is?"  Hawkgirl said nothing, but lowered her head.  Emmett had touched a nerve.  "The fact is, the chances of you going home are slim…" Emmett stopped and looked at Hawkgirl's face.  Half of it was hidden behind the angry-looking mask, but the eyes were tearing up and the lips were fixed tight.  Suddenly, he understood.  "And you know it, don't you?"

                Hawkgirl raised her head again.  Her lips had formed a sneer, but her eyes were still shiny.  "I will go home, human!"  Shayera was surprised by the hate in her own words.  "I can't stand this planet and your silly police _brutality_.  I'll contact Thanagar and find my way home—whether or not I caught Byth.  Perhaps you can dispense your human 'Justice' on him.  That is, if he doesn't kill you first."

                Hawkgirl stormed out of the room, ignoring the police officers all around her.  She even bumped into Jake, who was headed to Emmett office, without saying a word.  Only one thought occupied her mind.  Thanagar.  Somewhere, deep in her chest, there was a pulsing ache to go back to Thanagar.  She tired of all these wingless squeakers.  They were ignorant and it drove her mad.  "Forget Byth.  I'll find a communicator on the ship.  If they designed it to travel through space, they must have designed a strong radio too."

*              *              *

                The cockpit of Byth's ship was a larger version of Shayera's ship.  It was the first good bit of news all day.  Shayera turned the computers on and adjusted the signal.  There were several Thanagarian channels, and Shayera switched it to the emergency broadcast.

                "…Officer Shayera Hol…missing in action…no response…"

                Shayera pressed the com-link button. "Officer Shayera Hol reporting in!" she said in crisp Thanagarian.

                "…No response…"

                _What?_  Shayera checked the computer's status.  Two lines drew an expression of doom on her face.  SIGNAL RECEIVER FUNCTIONING.  SIGNAL TRANSMITTER NONOPERATIONAL.  Shayera broke down.  "Seven Hells!  Please—don't do this to me!  Don't do this to me!"  She shouted back into the com-link.  "This is Officer Hol, reporting in.  Do you hear me?  Do you copy?  Please, someone hear me!  It's Magpie!  It's Magpie!  _Can anyone hear me?_  It's Magpie…" Clinging onto the control panel, Shayera slid down onto her knees.  "Can _anyone_ hear me…no, _no one_ can hear me…"

                And then, Shayera—not Hawkgirl, not Officer Hol, just Shayera—wept.

                Shayera didn't know how long she slept.  But something had woken her up.  A trail of small insects was crawling over her ankle and under the door to the main part of the ship.  Drying her eyes, Shayera stood and followed the ants until she found herself in front of a locker.  Her nose wrinkled at the stench.  "What _is_ that?"

                Curious, she pulled the locker door open.  Three bodies fell at her feet, causing Shayera to yelp in fear before regaining her senses.  Two of them were human and the third was an animal.  But the second human looked familiar.  "It's Officer _Jake_."

                Officer Jake of the Midway City Police Department.

                The same officer that was in possession of all the confiscated items from the ship.

                The same officer she had given the Absorbascon to.

                The same officer that she had bumped into after her fight with Emmett.

                And only one person could be behind this: Byth Rok.

*              *              *

                With her mask back on and her mace fully charged, Hawkgirl flew as fast as her wings would allow.  She knew this much—Byth had stolen Thanagarian technology.  He had killed three aliens and shoved them in his ship.  But one of the aliens was still walking around.  Shayera was a detective and had pieced together the answer quickly.  Jake was dead—and somehow Byth was able to pretend to be him.

                SWISH!

                Something small and fast had cut across Hawkgirl's face.  She turned her head this way and that.

                _Hurts, doesn't it?  Not as much as this!_

                A large bird landed on her back with so much force that Shayera dropped several feet.  She thought she had recovered when it sank her talons deep into the shoulders of her wings.  They had a spasm before going limp, and Hawkgirl crashed onto a rooftop.  She grabbed the bird by the neck and flung him several feet in front of her.  "What are you?"

                The feathers melted away…the bird grew taller and more familiar…and there stood Byth Rok, with a smug smile on his face.  "Officer Hol!  So nice to cross paths with you again."

                Hawkgirl pulled herself up.  "You're under arrest!" she cried weakly.

                Byth laughed.  "Of all the cops to be stuck on this planet with…the Magpie.  How _sweet_."  His expression change to one of malice.  "I've got scars all over my back 'cause of you.  I lost my wings 'cause of you."

                "You were trying to escape.  And you spat on me."

                "Well, it doesn't matter anymore.  You took my wings, but now I have new ones.  And new talons, as you already saw.  Thanks to the Thanagarian government.  May the seven Gods keep smiling on them—and me."

                "That's how you changed into Jake?  And that bird just now?  Thanagarian technology?"

                "It's called an eagle.  Honestly woman, you call yourself _Hawkgirl_?  Don't sneer, I read the papers.  How predictable of you—you always have to be the tough heroine.  So, you want to be Superman?  Well, here's your Kryptonite."

                One punch sent Hawkgirl crashing into a concrete wall.  She pulled herself up for a moment, tottered on her weak arms, and collapsed on the ground.  Byth grinned.  "And so ends the short, undistinguished carrier of Hawkgirl, the Winged Avenger.  And the annoying fem-cop Shayera Hol."  Byth picked up her mace and walked towards her limp form.  "Perhaps she'll have better luck in the afterlife."

                BANG!

                Jordan, standing in the doorway leading to the rooftop, had fired off his gun.  "Not today, bird-brain!"

                Byth wasn't stupid.  He dropped the mace and ran to the edge of the rooftop.  Jordan followed until Byth jumped _off_ the roof.  He though for a moment that Byth had committed suicide.  But a giant raptor flew off away from the city.  _He_ had survived.

*              *              *

                Hawkgirl woke up and saw Jordan nearby.  "Jake…" her voice was still raspy.

                "It's wasn't Jake, I take it?"

                "Byth…he's able to change forms…the bodies had puncture wounds…like from a needle…" Suddenly, another though crossed her mind.  "Emmett…where's Emmett?"

                Jordan kicked at some pebbles.  "That's why I was trying to find you.  That bastard Byth shot him.  He in a coma at the hospital."


	7. Hawkgirl's Aviary

                _Author's Notes—the comments I have received since this story went up have all been nothing short of spectacular.  I have enjoyed reading each and every one, as well as talk to many of you.  I am both honored and pleased to see so many positive responses.  Now that the semester has ended for me, look for more stories involving Hawkgirl later this summer.  And later on in _this_ story, keep a hawk's eye out for an avian cameo…_

                Byth had given up hiding in the ship—Shayera kept too close an eye on it—and the surrounding farmland.  It was too risky.  Besides, he liked the city better.  Midway reminded him of the capital of Thanagar, Thalrassa.  It was a massive metropolis, full of wealth and material treasures.  There was a heavy scent of industrial work.  Byth felt at home.

                But for now he was just try to stay dry.  Byth had collected several new DNA samples.  He was now in a rat's body, gnawing his teeth on top of a garbage can.  _I like this body almost as much as the bird's body.  So devilishly hungry and selfish…reminds me of myself_.

                Byth had forced himself to forget the horror he felt after killing the two humans.  He focused on the thrill afterwards—for the first time in a long time, he had gotten away with a crime.  And what a crime!  The police of Thanagar had caught him for petty things like stealing or narcotics.  But Shayera had failed to catch him for the worse crime ever—murder!  What else could he get away with?

                There was a loud cry above the alley.  Byth's rat instinct took over and he dove for cover.  It was a hawk, circling over the area, looking for a small bird or mammal to eat.  Byth hissed at bird.  _Damn you and your kind, Hawkgirl._  Byth realized he was not completely free yet.  So long as Hawkgirl was here in Midway and alive, she would hunt him down.  Byth knew Shayera was stupid like that.  She would chase him like some hound until he was dead from her mace.  Or if she dropped dead from exhaustion.  _That's what I need to do next.  Kill Shayera Hol.  No, kill _Hawkgirl.  Then no one would chase him.

*              *              *

                Jordan had escorted Hawkgirl to the Midway General Hospital.  Once inside Emmett's room, she removed her mask.  Emmett was in a bed, tubes running in and out of his body, with a monitor constantly beeping in the background.  "So…he's not dead?"

                Jordan shook his head.  "It's called a coma.  There's still brain activity.  He might wake up.  We don't know yet."

                Shayera bent down and placed her hand on Emmett's left check.  It felt cool to the touch.  She had never seen anyone in so deep a state of unconsciousness—and that scared her.  "The last thing I said to him…"

                "Don't worry about it."

                "…I said 'if he doesn't kill you first.'  I did say that, didn't I?"

                Jordan wasn't entirely sure what to say.  The last few days had been quite out-of-the-world to him.  "We say a lot of things we wish we could take back.  Like me.  I told Emmett letting you help this city was a bad idea."  Shayera turned her head towards Jordan.  "Now…I still think it's a bad idea, but I'm not so sure I'm right.  It's the first time I've doubted myself in a while."

                "I'm starting to doubt myself too."  Now it was Jordan's turn to be surprised.  "I thought I had everything under control.  I'd catch Byth, get back to Thanagar, and go home to my…friends.  Now, I'm not so sure."

                "Is that why you left the station yesterday?"

                Shayera nodded.  "Emmett was right.  There's no way to contact Thanagar.  My people know I'm missing, but they have no idea where to look."  Shayera began to choke up.  "And for the first time, I'm alone."

                "Not true.  The entire Police Force of Midway is right behind you."

                Shayera shook her head.  Then she lifted her wings.  "See these?  That's why I'll always be alone."  There was a silence.  Shayera looked outside.  The evening sun was setting.  "It's getting dark…its harder for me to fly at night.  I'm going to head to the Aviary before it gets any later."

                "The _what_?"

                "The Aviary.  It's my nickname for the attics of the Museum of History."

                Shayera put her mask back on and headed to the window.  She unlocked the hatch and balanced herself on the windowsill.  "Hawkgirl!"  She turned her head back.  Jordan was looking at his chief.  "What are you going to do…what can any of us do…"

                Hawkgirl's voice was unwavering.  "Byth's killed two humans and shot at your commissioner.  I can't leave him out there.  I'd be flying out there now chasing him but I'm aching to the bones.  Tomorrow though, the winds will be in _my_ favor."

                Jordan stopped her once more before she took off.  "One last thing!  Emmett's the greatest commissioner this city has ever had.  And now Byth's knocked him down.  Go ahead and dispense your 'Thanagarian Justice' on that scumbag."

                Hawkgirl grinned.

*              *              *

                Mavis Trent was just finishing the work in her office and was leaving the museum when she heard a faint rustling behind and above her.  She spun around, not sure what to expect.  Hawkgirl was perched on a column, looking down at the curator.  "Whew, Hawkgirl, you gave me a scare."

                "Sorry.  I just wanted to let you know I was here."

                Trent smiled.  "You don't have to report to me, Hawkgirl."

                "I see.  But I do have a question."

                "Alright, go ahead."

                Hawkgirl looked up, trying to find the proper wording.  "Do you mind if I have a few birds in the attics?  I—they—"

                Trent laughed and adjusted her glasses.  "Just a few?  That doesn't seem unreasonable.  Go ahead.  Just make sure they stay invisible to the museum guests, of course."

                Hawkgirl nodded.  "Yes, of course.  Thank you."

                Trent headed to the parking lot and left Hawkgirl alone in the museum.  She pulled off her mask.  Using the last bit of energy in her wings, she glided to a small opening high in the main lobby of the museum.  Below her, the battle armor of fifteenth-century knights collected dust and old war banners waved from a faint breeze.  The museum had been losing money for the past ten years.  But the day after the newspaper article mentioning Hawkgirl's new HQ, the number of guests had quadrupled.  Shayera could see rows of ancient weapons in the lobby.  "A pity these humans don't admire their own history—I'm already admiring theirs."

                After a few turns in the dark, Hawkgirl lifted a trapdoor above her and pulled herself up into the Aviary.

                Trent wasn't kidding when she offered the attic space for Hawkgirl.  Most of it was made of crossbeams and rafters.  There was a clear section in the center, with another trapdoor leading to the museum roof.

                Shayera's living arrangements were Spartan.  Her only possessions were the hammock in one corner, a small lamp, and her backpack full of Thanagarian supplies.  Emmett mentioned something about a television set—whatever that was—and a refrigerator for her food.  Until then though…Shayera would have to make do without any luxuries.

                As Shayera walked through the cross beams and her feathers rubbed against the planks, should could hear and feel the presence of dozens of birds.  They were all different types.  Massive flocks of sparrows that had divided into smaller groups of fours and fives darted here and there looking for a possible meal.  Blue jays and starlings bickered at each other for the same space.  Mourning doves and their kin, the pigeons, watched from higher rafters as their mistress walked amongst them.  And at the top rafters closest to the roof, several owls flew out for a night's hunting, while pairs of eagles, falcons, and hawks returned from their day's labors.

                It was these sights that Shayera saw last before drifting into unconsciousness.  Her eyelids grew heavy and her wings went limp and she swung softly in her bed.  _Just a _few_ birds…_


	8. “You Think You’re Still the Top Cop, huh...

_Author's Note_—Thanks for your patience guys!  I've been busy, so I made up for it with a double post!  Hope you enjoy.  The story should be wrapping up soon—but look for a preview of Hawkgirl's next adventure at the end!

Hawkgirl was up at dawn patrolling the skies.  Every living thing was now a suspect.  Byth could change into any of them.  It took a few hours for the city's surface to warm up and for thermals—hot pockets of air that aid fliers—to emerge.  But after two hours of heavy flapping and gliding, Hawkgirl was soaring with the falcons in the city.

                Her radio beeped.  "It's Jordan."

                "Any updates?"

                "Emmett's status hasn't changed."  This disappointed Hawkgirl.  "You mentioned something yesterday about puncture wounds on the bodies.  Or forensic teams confirm this.  We even found the means—Thanagarian syringes that aren't too different from ours."

                "You think that's how he killed them?"

                "No, because he was _drawing_ blood, not injecting anything lethal."

                Hawkgirl nodded.  "That's how he's able to turn into anything.  That's his weakness.  He's got to be able to take a blood sample."  Hawkgirl began to think.  "We know he had two human bodies, an eagle, and dog.  Any other native animals we need to worry about?"

                "Not really…"

                "Oh good.  Then I think it won't be too hard to defeat him."

                "Uh…Hawkgirl…we do have some animals here that are _not_ native…"

*              *              *

                "Make way for the beast!"

                Byth was enjoying this.  Back on Thanagar, he was inferior.  Without his wings, Byth was an outcast, and was considered weaker than his winged brothers.  But here on Earth—what a change!  And with the DNA of wolves and lions and hyenas and bears…the possibilities were endless!  Crowds of humans were running from him, grabbing their children and their loved ones and stampeding to the exits.  They were like cattle.  _Stupid, stupid animals_!

                Furthermore, Byth was learning more and more about his powers.  He discovered that he could restrict his changing to portions of his body.  He was now over eight feet tall, with massive grizzly arms ending in claws, but other than that he appeared in his true form.  Which was good, since the bear's eyesight was so poor.  The strength flowing through him…the blood pumping through his body…it was _so_ intoxicating…

                "Seven Hells!  What have you done to your body, Byth?"  Hawkgirl was skimming the skies overhead.  Byth snorted.  "It's actually an improvement.  You were never much of a looker."

                "Why don't you come down and say that closer to me?"  Byth grinned and waved one of his massive claws.  "It wont hurt _that_ much."

                "Thanks for the offer.  But you're ugly enough from here."  Hawkgirl turned on the mace.  It began crackling with a charge.  "This time you've gone too far, Byth.  Two humans are dead because of you.  And a third one is in the hospital."

                Hawkgirl heard a faint cry from near Byth.  There was a small girl huddled beneath a table.  Byth grinned at the sobbing child, then turned back to Hawkgirl.  "So?  These humans are inferior to me.  _You're_ inferior to me, Officer Hol.  You think you're still the top cop, huh?  Well, you've never faced a criminal like me!"

Hawkgirl screeched as she plummeted down.  As she lifted her mace, one of Byth's massive paws grabbed her by the neck.  Hawkgirl could feel the massive claws on either side of her neck, digging into her skin.  Byth slammed Hawkgirl onto the ground.  He laughed, scooped up the crying girl in his arms, and lumbered off.

Hawkgirl pulled herself back up.  "I can't keep fighting him like I'm back on Thanagar.  I'm fighting him alone now…I need a plan."  She looked at Byth.  He grinned back at her, showing a mouthful of grizzly fangs.

"You said I failed to kill to the human cop?  A pity."  He suspended the girl in his claws.  "I've killed stronger humans than this one."

Hawkgirl—Shayera—couldn't believe what she was hearing.  This wasn't the Byth she knew and disliked.  This Byth she _hated_.  "You _are_ crazy.  You—you're not the Byth I fought back on Thanagar."  Byth stopped smiling.  "Whatever was in that pill you took…it's changing your _mind_ and your body.  You aren't even Thanagarian anymore! You're a genetic freak!"

"NO!" He stood up, foaming at the mouth.  "I'm better than you! Better than any of these land-crawling, fleshy pukes!"  Byth dropped the girl, pinned her down with one paw, and tried to rip at her with the claws on the opposite hand.

Thinking quickly, Hawkgirl threw her mace at Byth's head.  It struck him hard at the right temple.  Byth recoiled back, applying pressure to his aching head, and Hawkgirl dove after the girl.  One hand grabbed the child around the waist; the other grabbed the mace by the leather strap at the bottom.  She adjusted her wings and quickly flew out of Byth's hitting range.  The sundress was ripped at the bottom, and there were a few scratches.  "Are you alright?"

Eyes opened wide with excitement, the girl nodded.  She wrapped her arms around the Thanagarian's neck.  "Thanks to Hawkgirl!"  Shayera grinned.  This was her first real perk of being a superherione.  She could see Jordan up ahead, running towards her, with his officers behind him.

"Hawkgirl!  We were missing one zoo guest—you found her!"

Hawkgirl dropped the child into a policeman's arms.  Then she landed in front of Jordan and his two top policemen.  Jordan spoke first.  "Byth's loose in the zoo."

Hawkgirl opened her wings wide.  "I noticed.  I'm going back after him."

She was a few feet in the air before a voice made her turn around.  "Damn you, Hol."  Byth was on the roof of a shop, changing his body into that of a jaguar.  He lowered his shoulders, bunched up his leg muscles, and pounced at Hawkgirl, still in midair.

"Hr!"  The weight of Byth's blow forced the air out of Hawkgirl's lungs and the mask off her face.  The pair landed near the edge of an exhibit.  They continued to skid, the concrete tearing into Hawkgirl's pants and ripping her skin.  Byth lowered his ears as he realized he had overestimated Hawkgirl's weight and the two were going to fall into the exhibit below them.

"Whoa!"

"Roar-r-r-r-r-r-r!"

SPLASH!

Few things are as unappealing to Thanagarians as water.  Even Byth, in his animal body, felt the instinctive fear of the murky pool he had dropped in, and was dog-paddling on the surface.  Hawkgirl was not so lucky.  The weight of the mace was dragging her deeper down.  She was too panicked to do anything until she hit the bottom.  Her mace was attached to her belt, but she could not release it.  _Seven hells, I've got to get rid of this mace before I drown!_

Something rubbed again her back.  Something…scaly.  Hawkgirl spun around.  There wasn't much to see in the murky water, but she could make out the shapes of several giant swimming reptiles.  The were all at least seven feet in length, and they used their massive tails to move through the water with absolute mastery.  _Can this get _any_ worse_?

It could.  Hawkgirl looked up.  The sun silhouetted Byth, still paddling on the surface.  And the silhouette was changing.  It was changing into one of the reptiles.  Hawkgirl struggled to pulled the mace off of her.  Meanwhile, Byth's metamorphosis was complete and he slowly moved into the shadows.  Another swam past her, and she could see the massive tooth-lined jaw.  Hawkgirl was getting frantic.  She was running low on air, and the mace wasn't loosening.  And worse, the water was stinging the torn flesh on her wings and the blood was making the animals frantic.

Byth struck.  He emerged from the shadows of the water like a bullet.  His jaw clamped onto Hawkgirl's leg.  The pain was incredible.  He was trying to tear at the flesh by spinning his body, but the teeth only managed to tear at the clothing.  He tried again, trying to use the muscles in his jaw to snap Hawkgirl's back.  Hawkgirl twisted around just far enough for Byth to miss her skin.  His teeth clamped around the belt.  Byth, thinking he had caught Hawkgirl, spun around and broke the belt in two.

The was Hawkgirl's chance.  She didn't know much about swimming, but kicking to the surface seemed most logical.  It was slow work—her wings dragged her down.  Byth, with Hawkgirl's mace and belt stuck in his teeth, followed her.  Hawkgirl made it to the surface and began gasping for breath.  Her hair was a mess and covering her face.  "Well, I hope this works."

Byth broke the surface and opened his jaws again.  Hawkgirl was ready.  She moved to the left and wrapped her hands around the neck and pulled the handle of her mace out of his jaw and grasped it with her fingers.  The head of the mace was still in Byth's mouth.  "Here goes," she shouted.

She turned the mace on.  A bolt of energy ripped through Byth's body, causing the crocodile to spasm in pain.  The pulse spread to Hawkgirl, who could only grit her teeth.  Several of the crocodiles nearby were hit too and began swimming away in a panic.

For two minutes, Hawkgirl kept her hold on Byth.  He was not going down easily.  Her own muscles were aching from the current running through her.  Finally, Byth's eyes rolled back, one last spasm shook Hawkgirl, and the giant crocodile began sinking into the water.

Hawkgirl paddled weakly to the edge of the concrete wall at the edge of the exhibit.  _I _hate_ water_.  Her muscles were still shaking from the electric shocks.  "Hey Jordan," she said weakly.  "How nice of you to finally show up."

The police officer lowered his hand to help Hawkgirl up.  "Nice work, Hawkgirl.  But how did you survive the shock?"

Hawkgirl laughed.  "Military training.  We're not allowed to use a mace until we learn to stand its sting.  So," she said, grinning, "am I a superhero yet?"


	9. The Museum’s Newest Member

The Midway Museum of History was packed the next Saturday with hundreds of guest.  But Mavis Trent was in her office, away from the noise and the excitement.  "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Of course."  Shayera was standing in front of the mirror on Trent's door.  She was wearing a pair of kaki pants, brown boots, and a black backless top.  "It makes perfect sense.  I don't want to rely on charity while I'm here."  She pulled her hair back into a ponytail.  "So I'll work for my rent.  Your museum needs a stronger attendance so you don't close.  You need someone to help with all the ancient weapons you have here.  And I'm an expert on weapons."

"I've noticed."  Trent looked down on the table.  Hawkgirl had been kind enough to repair some of the antique crossbows.  Seven cleaned weapons were scattered amongst her keyboard and coffee mug.  "What about the wings?"

Shayera turned to see her massive wings sticking out of her back.  "Well, that's what the jacket's for."  Trent passed Shayera the trench coat.  She tucked her wings around her waist, flattening them as much as possible.  "And now Shayera Hol is…seven heavens…what was is my human name again?"

Trent laughed.  "Sarah Hall.  Curator for the Weapons Exhibit."

Shayera nodded.  "I will have to get use to this…"

*              *              *

'Sarah' found herself in front of several older students later on that day.  "This crossbow from the Middle Ages was quite powerful, and could penetrate a knight's metal armor.  It turned the tide on warfare, as you can imagine.  But there was a catch—the accuracy was—" Sarah stopped.  Emmett, out of uniform, was standing in the back, looking at some swords on display.  "Um, Tracy, can you take over here?  Thanks."  She walked over to the commissioner.  "Emmett!  Jordan told you me you were released from the hospital the other day!"

Emmett smiled.  "Miss Hall I presume?"

Shayera nodded.  "Mrs. Trent picked the name.  It's similar to my own…I find that amusing.  You came here alone?"

"No.  Mrs. Emmett is with my son.  With this place _finally_ seeing some business, they've planned some sort of kid-friendly event all day today.  I heard Hawkgirl is even planning on meeting the children of Midway later tonight."  Emmett stopped smiling.  "Jordan gave me the debriefing.  You took out Byth, I heard."

Shayera grinned.  "Yes I did."  She noticed Emmett's face at last.  "Oh come on, you're not still mad about the 'Thanagarian Justice' are you?"  Emmett's face didn't change.  "But after what Byth did to you…and to those other men…_I was justified_."

"Shayera—I mean, Sarah, listen to me.  Part of me is very glad to see Byth dead."

"And the other part…"

"The other part has to consider the people. We _serve_ the people. That also means that we can't do anything that would endanger them or their rights."

Shayera's eyes opened wide, a fire growing behind them.  "Seven Hells!  The people should be serving _us_! We protect them from scum like Byth—"

"Maybe on Thanagar," Emmett said in a calm voice. "And I believe we've had this discussion before."

"Yes," Shayera said, the anger dying out of her.  "We have.  But I still don't like your human justice."

"Well, the system does have an advantage."

"Like _what_?"

"Let me put it this way—I hate it when a case ends like this."

"Why?"

Emmett bit his lip for a moment before speaking again.  "If only he had gone to trial.  Then, we would have know all the details.  Thanks to you, all we have is an evenly roasted crocodile."

Shayera couldn't look Emmett in the eye.  "Well…at least he's dead…"

"For your sake, I hope so."

The two walked off.  Shayera didn't know what to think.  "Well, what's done is done, I suppose."  She headed back to the exhibit.

*              *              *

                _Earlier that day_…

Byth waited until the sun had gone down to crawl out of the tank.  He wasn't sure what had happened.  He had changed into the crocodile to take out Officer Hol.  But then she started attacking another crocodile and killed it.  If it wasn't for the electric charge in the water, Byth would have joined the attack on Hawkgirl.  But once he realized that she was going to win that round, he retreated to the far end of the pool.  _She had killed the wrong animal!_  Now, he was in the air, riding the thermals courtesy of the heat from Midway's roads.

He had a wonderful advantage: Hawkgirl thought he was dead.  This changed everything.  Her guard was down.  Thanagarian police officers usually took a break after a big case, and Officer Hol was no different.  She probably was trying to find a way to blend in with the humans—although with those gaudy wings of hers, she stood little chance of succeeding.  But the _real_ good news was something Byth read flying by a newspaper stand.

HAWKGIRL TO VISIT MUSEUM'S YOUNGER GUESTS

Byth smiled.  This was perfect.  Hawkgirl will not see _this_ coming.


	10. I am Hawkgirl!

Alone again in Mavis's office, Sarah Hall changed to her Hawkgirl uniform.  It was nice to move her wings about again.  She stretched them in front of the mirror.  "Ah!  What a cramp!"  Her mace was lying on Trent's desk.  "Well…I better not bring the mace.  Mavis said it might scare the little squeakers."

*              *              *

"Can you really fly?"  Hawkgirl opened her wings and flapped a few feet in the air.  Her wings blew a strong breeze through the youngsters' hair.  "Wow!"

The children surrounded Hawkgirl again as soon as she landed.  One child was wearing a Batman shirt.  He tugged at her left wing to get her attention.  "I bet Batman can beat you up.  He can beat _anyone_ up."

Hawkgirl grinned.  "Really?  Can you tell him to come and fight me?"  The little boy grinned.  "Maybe one day I'll fight him—but we're both on the same side, you know."

One girl was too shy to speak in front of everyone.  Instead, she whispered into Hawkgirl's ears.  "My brother thinks I should like Supergirl…but I think you've braver!"

Hawkgirl was enjoying every minute of this.  Her writing skills were somewhat lacking (Mrs. Emmett had given her a crash course in writing her own name), but all the children were eager to met the new superhero.  Some had families in Gotham or Metropolis…but now, Midway had a new hero.  _They_ had a new hero.

"Hey, Hawkgirl?"

Shayera turned around.  There was a slightly older boy behind her.  "That was pretty cool, the way you did in that space-crook."

Hawkgirl looked at Emmett for help.  His son, after all, was somewhere in the crowd of children.  But his expression didn't change.  "'Did in'?  What do you mean?"

"You know, 'did in'.  Destroy, exterminate, whatever you want to call it."  The child made several jabbing motions.  "Buzz-z-z-z-z-z.  Fried that sucker.  Shows him what happens if you mess with the Magpie."

Hawkgirl shook her head sadly.  "Well, I think I would do things differently if I had the chance—_what did you call me_?"  Without wasting another moment, Hawkgirl kicked her foot into the boy's chin, sending him bleeding across the room.

Emmett was shocked.  "Hawkgirl!"

"Emmett!  Get these kids out of here!"

"But—"

"It's _Byth_!"

Sure enough, the boy was growing taller.  Byth was grinning as he lifted his head up.  "Seven devils, Magpie.  I keep on coming back.  Isn't it freaky?"

Emmett was calling for backup.  Several of the adults were leading the children to the exits.  But Byth had set off the alarms.  The same doors that trapped criminals after they stole a treasure from the museum had now trapped all the civilians within Byth's grasp.  "Hey, Officer Hol."  Hawkgirl spun back to face Byth.  "You say you'd do things differently if you had a chance?  How naïve."  Slowly, Byth's hands were elongating.  "And do what, pray tell?"  Webbing was forming between the digits.  "Land me in jail…again?"  His legs were shriveling away.  "A lot of good that did on Thanagar…how many times did I escape?"  A giant, scaly tail emerged.  "So what else can you do?  You've already taken my wings away."  Byth's face was flattening.  "Kill me?  You failed to do that."  A forked tongue appeared from his mouth.  "You see, 'Magpie', you done everything to me.  And I keep coming back."  Byth was now over twenty feet long.  His body was serpentine, with massive bat-like arms.  "Thanagarian Justice has failed.  Human Justice…hiss…they tried that on Thanagar…and look where it brought me.  S-s-s-say goodbye…Officer Hol!"

Hawkgirl remained right in front of Byth.  She was only thing standing between Byth and the crowd of children.  "S-s-s-s-step aside, Magpie!"

Hawkgirl didn't wavier.  "Byth!  You picked the worse spot on _Earth_ to pick a fight with me!"  She switched from English to Thanagarian.  "_Come to me_!"

Byth grinned.  "Come?  I'll come all right—"

He was interrupted by the noise from above.  Over two hundred birds of every species came storming through the small vent openings near the ceiling.  And they all headed towards Byth.  He found himself being torn at by the talons and claws and beaks of birds all over his body.  Hawkgirl had mysteriously vanished.  Gritting his teeth, he dove after the crowd.  He knocked down several, snapping at their heels like some reptile, until he found a glass wall and backed up against it to fend off the birds.  "A few mangy pigeons and sparrows—is that why I should be afraid?"

"No."

The glass behind Byth shattered.  He turned to see what cause it.  Hawkgirl had used her helmet to brake through the glass, shattering it into fragments.  Her eyes were glowing with rage, her lips formed a snarl, and her red hair seemed illuminated by the new sunlight pouring in.  But it was what she was carrying that made Byth cold to the bones.  How could someone so little carry so much?  In her left arm was a massive shield, while her hand carried a massive mace.  In her right hand was a morningstar of equal weight, which she swung around as easily as a ball of yarn.  On he back were strapped several spears, a long bow, and several arrows.  Around her waist dangled an array of swords and daggers.  "_This_ is why you should be afraid.  _Don't ever fight the Hawk in her Aerie_!"

Emmett took advantage of the situation, and led as many people as possible through the exit Hawkgirl had made.  "I'm staying with you!" said Jordan, who had just arrived to find Hawkgirl already at work.

"Get these people out of here!  I'll stay here!"

Byth used his tail to knock Hawkgirl to the ground.  The added weight on her did make it harder to get up.  But she made up for it with her arsenal of weapons.  Byth found two spears sunk deep into his flesh before Hawkgirl was back on her feet.  And the birds were _still_ attacking.  Desperate, he spread his wings and made for the glass roof.  _I need to get to the roof_.  The bits of glass cut into his skin as he made his way onto the museum roof, but Byth was too scared to care.  "She's going to cut my wings again!  _She's going to cut my wings again_!"

Hawkgirl followed, shooting arrows along Byth's back as the sun was setting over Midway.  "You asked what I was going to do to you, Byth.  You want to know?  It's not Thanagarian Justice.  It's not Human Justice.  This…this is _my_ justice!"  The morningstar hit Byth in the jaw, which promptly broke in two.  She blocked a blow from his tail with her shield, and then swung the mace.  "You are going to live through this, Byth…but you will be so broken and battered I swear by the seven heavens you will not be able to harm anyone every again!"

"Officer Hol!"  SLAM!  "Officer Shayera!"  WHAM!  Byth's reptilian body was shattered and bruised, blooding oozing from a dozen wounds.  He's skull was smashed to one side, and that eye was dim and half shut.  "Magpie!  Mercy, please!"

"Mercy?  You're not dealing with Officer Hol anymore.  We left her back on Thanagar.  Or maybe she left after you killed the humans.  Either way, I have a new name."  Shayera raised her mace high above her head.  "I…am…_Hawkgirl_!"

The mace cracked Byth shoulder, and he crumpled onto the ground.  He groaned in pain.  Slowly, the scales drew back, the tail shrank, and the legs reformed.  Byth's eyes widened in fear.  "What is happening to me?"

Hawkgirl realized Byth was not controlling this change.  She stepped back, horrified.  "The technology…you're losing it…its withdrawing…"

"No!" screamed Byth.  But his body did not obey him.  Byth was crying and foaming at the mouth.  "No!  I was so powerful…I had _wings_!  Seven hells, seven devils, _please_!"  His bat-like wings were beginning to shrink.  He looked back up at the Hawkgirl's, whose eyes were filled with both horror…and sympathy at Byth's wretched state.  "_You can't take away my new wings_."

And with that, Byth ran across the museum roof.  And before Hawkgirl could say anything, Byth jumped over the edge, his awkward wings the last remnants of his previous powers.  Hawkgirl ran to the edge herself and dived down to catch him.  But her body was not as aerodynamic, and Byth had a head start.  In less than seven seconds, Byth crashed onto the great stone steps leading towards the museum, a bloody heap of broken bones, wings spread outward at odd angles in some futile attempt to fly away from it all.


	11. Epilogues

_Thanagar_

Captain Hol and his men were outside of his villa.  "I'm sorry Katar," said one of his junior officers.  "But they said they can't find Shayera."

"She's out there."

The officer snorted.  "So…we're going to waste our time chasing this little nightingale?  To what end?  For what gain?"

"Till she's safe back home in my arms."  This made the officer regret his aggressive attitude.  Katar went on.  "I hate to sound like a madman, but I think the government lied to me.  They _can_ bring her back.  They built that ship that took her away, didn't they?"  Katar sat down on a short wall and looked up.  "At first they said she was missing.  Now…they say she's dead.  The ship didn't survive the travel.  Why would they lie to us?"  He cleared his throat.  "She _can't_ be dead.  I _know_ she can't be.  We're both looking at the stars tonight.  Wherever she is…she's looking at those stars."

"So Captain…we continue to investigate your Magpie's…disappearance?"

Katar nodded.  "Yes.  And we need to hurry."  He leaned closer to his officers, as though worried that he would be overheard.  "Because the longer she's gone, and the longer they tell me she's dead…the sooner I begin to lose faith…and believe in them…"

*              *              *

_Earth_

"I wonder, maybe one day I'll find which star Thanagar circles around."

"I hope you do, Hawkgirl.  But until then, you are Hawkgirl, the Winged Avenger, defender of Midway City."

Shayera stopped looking at the evening sky and turned towards Emmett.  They were both on the museum roof, directly above the small doorway that lead to Hawkgirl's Aviary.  The door was left open so the evening hunters could leave and the daytime predators could come in and rest.  "Not that bad of a title.  But it seems so strange…only yesterday I was fighting Byth on this rooftop…and then…he went and killed himself like that."

Emmett nodded.  "Was he always like that?"

Shayera shook her head.  "Years ago, my…a fellow officer decided that he was tired of Byth getting free all the time.  That's what Byth meant by 'Human Justice' failing on Thanagar.  He was always getting out of his jail sentences.  Byth…he was being a smart mouth, as usual…the officer got mad, and tore out his wings so he could never fly away."

"How horrid!"

Shayera nodded.  "I thought it was at first…but Byth—and that officer that took away his flight—were right about one thing.  No one knew what to do about him.  He was…a problem case.  You can't reform a man like him…but until he landed here, he was just a harmless thief.  I guess once he was on Earth, he realized he was more powerful than anyone of you.  Like how I am more powerful than any human."  Shayera paused for a moment to think.  "I guess that's why I'm needed here, isn't it?  So big-guns like Byth can't hurt anyone."

"Part of it."  Emmett looked down at downtown Midway.  "And the other part…you did that yesterday too."

"What?"

"You gave hope…you gave _us_ wings."

_The End_

_Preview to Hawkgirl: Flight over Gotham:_

"Gotham?  What is in Gotham that I would find so fascinating?"

Jordan rolled his eyes.  "_Only_ Batman, Shayera.  That'll be interesting.  Your mace versus his utility belt.  Emmett, I place fifteen toward The Bat."

Emmett looked at Shayera.  "If she carries the cross-bow with the mace, I'll bet fifty in her favor."

"Will someone explain what's so scary about this big black bat to me?"

_Now that Hawkgirl has proven herself in Midway, she must head to Gotham, in an investigation to find several stolen pieces of jewelry loaned to Midway from Wayne Enterprises.  Not only does Shayera has to deal with entire Bat-family—Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl, and Robin—but she also has to deal with their avian villain, the Penguin!  Feathers will fly._

Thanks for the great review guys!  I loved reading all of them.  Hope you enjoy the upcoming story and the stories that follow!

~Artemis Hawk


End file.
